The Bard King (A Rhaegar Targaryen self-insert)
by ImperatorAnonymous
Summary: So... What can be worse than ending up in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire? What about waking up as Rhaegar Targaryen? What about having to live his whole life? Can this 21st century fellow survive such an experience? maybe not, but let's find out anyway! (Undergoing a rewrite)
1. Chapter 1

_**Starfall, 276 After Conquest**_

I think it is prudent if I start my story here, and just throw the details of what happened earlier when they are pertinent. After all, this visit was a pretty important point. You see, Arthur, that is, Ser Arthur Dayne, and myself, had just been knighted a few months before my father decided to screw everything up (admittedly, that was one screw up I don't particularly mind, and one of the places in canon I was not in any hurry to change).

Lord Lannister -that is, Tywin Lannister, who looked nothing at all like Charles Dance if I may add- had arranged a massive tourney at Lannisport to celebrate that my little brother Viserys -yes, THAT Viserys- was born. I guess that you all know how did that go in the end.

Oh, right. It actually started much earlier. I remember sitting in a bus heading home, then it falls over the side of the road and into a precipice... I remember panic as it tumbled towards an imminent death.

Then light, and I was being born amidst a massive fire. As you may imagine by all that I have said, I was given the name Rhaegar.

Yes. THAT Rhaegar. I had never particularly liked him, but here we are. I had somehow convinced my father to let me go to Starfall with Arthur -after all, I needed some time away from the shithole that was called King's Landing- and now we both gazed upon my best friend's ancestral home.

As I remembered how much of a shithole -excuse my swearing- was King's Landing, I decided one thing.

Fuck the Others, whenever I took the throne, my priority would be to set up a decent aqueduct in that place, maybe also establish an outer city so that I wouldn't have to leave half a million people homeless in the process.

"You ok there Rhaegar?" Arthur asked me, startling me out of my thoughts. I looked at him, shrugged and smiled.

It was said that Arthur Dayne was Rhaegar's oldest and closest friend. And I admit I had taken to him as well. Polite, Friendly, Well-Mannered but with that streak of fun mischievousness (did I make that word up?) that kept the spark of childhood even as we grew.

Oh, and he didn't mind me being a complete bookworm instead of being like Jon Connington.

Did I mention that I didn't really like Connington? anyway, back to where we were.

We were met by Lord Ulrick Dayne -Arthur's Father- and led into the halls. Then I saw her.

Cersei Lannister had been an unnaturally attractive -for a ten year old- little girl who was already too rotten inside to even look at. The young woman in front of me -and she had to be fourteen or fifteen, not that much of an issue considering that I was seventeen- was most certainly not. She was tall, with curves just in the right places, long black hair that fell to the middle of her back, a pair of haunting violet eyes, and a beautiful smile. Before she even introduced herself, I knew just who she was.

Would it be wrong if I happened to steal Ashara Dayne from Ned? Would it be even stealing her from him if he won't meet her for another four years or so? Would Arthur just kill me for thinking of it? Ok, scratch that last one, he wouldn't mind it. But still, I had liked the pairing of Ned and Ashara back in the day, a bit overdone for me, but it was good to see it popping up here and there. And why the hell am I even calling Lord Eddard Stark "Ned"?

Of course, I had never been good at talking to women, more exactly, to any woman I had any sort of romantic intent to, you could almost say Eddard Stark and my old self were pretty similar in that regard. So I was pretty much scrapping the idea, when I noticed the way Arthur was smiling at me.

It was his "I know exactly what you're thinking" smile, and I think it was fairly obvious. He chuckled, patted me on the back, and then went on and hugged his little sister.

After a nice display of actual brotherly affection -and I was silently asking God, why a Targaryen? Why not a house with less incest?- she approached me, and with a courteous smile introduced herself.

I did the same, and after a few minutes, Arthur and myself were left alone once more. Apparently to wait because Lord Ulrick had matters to tend to, and had hoped to see Arthur later in the evening.

"So?" He asked me. Once more -and you'll notice that is fairly usual- startling me out of my thoughts.

"So...?" I asked back, both sets of amethyst eyes met, yet I flinched first.

"Come on Rhaegar! We both know what you're thinking about!" He exclaimed and laughed loudly. I couldn't help but chuckle along.

"Well, excuse me _Ser_ Arthur, but how was I supposed to know that you would have such a beautiful sister? Thank the Seven that only my family is crazy enough to marry brother to sister!" I let out with a laugh of my own.

We were still laughing a few minutes later, when a servant came to inform us that there would be a small feast and our presence was wanted at the main hall.


	2. Chapter 2

asdf: I won't spoil exactly what will happen. But I assume that most sane people in this situation would choose to try and ignore Lyanna Stark...

Brown5o: I will try. Hopefully the pacing will improve constantly.

Also, everyone. A big shout-out to Akademia Szermierzy and Adorea Olomuc in YouTube. Go there to see realistic and utterly awesome sword fighting scenes.

* * *

 ** _Starfall, 276 After Conquest_**

Did I mention that Arthur had been summoned by his father to recieve Dawn?

Right, neither of us knew anything about it until we reached the feast either.

I had never been a party guy, hell, I barely drank back home! yet here were we. A self-conscious Dragon Prince putting on his best smile, and small-talking his way out of the small crowd.

I had no way to predict that this course of action would lead me to Lady Ashara.

Not that it bothered me.

"My Prince" she greeted me. I bowed and greeted her as well, mentally cursing my utterly pale Valyrian skin that made even the slightest blush rather noticeable. Although she did not seem to mind.

If Ashara Dayne saw that I was blushing -and I'm pretty sure even the old half-blind maester of Starfall had taken notice- she made no sign of it. Instead smiling gently at me.

"Lady Ashara." I greeted back, ignoring the teasing look that Arthur was giving us.

Of course, it had to be just that moment that had to be to have a specific song from my old life stuck in my head.

Why THAT one? Seriously? The Queen of Argyll? damn you Silly Wizards!

"Is there something wrong?" she asked with that sweet soft voice. Sighing I looked away.

"It is ironic, that I have yet to fully adapt to the heat." I lied. At this time in the evening it was not hot at all, not cool either, and certainly warmer than I was used to for that hour. But it should not be enough to get me this red.

Thankfully, if she saw through my lie -and most likely she did- she said nothing of it, instead offering to join me at a balcony.

"It is most impressive My Lady, Your home that is. And most aptly named." I commented, hoping to avoid things from growing more awkward than they already were

One of the perks of being born into a feudal place with all the crap that it implies, such as the lack of music on demand or the almost mystical nature of books, is that you get to see a wonderfully full and unpoluted night sky.

And the sight at Starfall, with the Summer Sea stretching into the Horizon, framed by mountains and mixing up with the sky and its many stars. That was just sublime.

Still, it sucks that I never went or will go to a Sabaton concert

Or that I will never finish reading The Pillars of the Earth

"I am afraid I do not understand what do you mean by aptly named." Said the young lady whose presence I had almost forgotten for a brief moment. As usual, startling me back to this reality.

Smiling and looking up I replied. "You have here a majestic sight. The Sky feels so close, almost as if you could reach up and pluck a Star down here like you would an apple from a tree."

She let out a soft laugh and nodded at that. "I thought you would say about our sigil, My Prince. But I can see why would you say so. I grew up here, it is what I am used to, yet I had not seen it that way."

I shrugged nonchalantly, a part of my mind trying desperately to only see her as my best friend's little sister.

"Well, some find Dragonstone to be dark, gloomy and depressing, others to be imposing, a symbol of power. Yet I only see it as a home. I guess I can relate to what you're saying."

She nodded, and once more I found myself not knowing what to say.

"I have heard that you are good at singing and writing songs." She stated. I tried to zone out, looking at the horizon. However it did not work.

"I do not think that the minstrels your father has here would like for me to try and take their place." I replied.

Perhaps the last reaction I had expected, was to cause her to giggle at it and sigh.

"It may be true, My Prince." she said.

The rest of the feast passed rather quickly. And eventually, all save for Lord Ulrick and Arthur left the hall.

A servant led me to a room, and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit that pillow.


	3. Chapter 3

Note: The Eagle and the Dragon series will be updated. This was born as a way to continue writing and let another idea that was going around my head, out. As soon as a certain scene is done over there, there will be an update for the War of the Six Kings.

Also. BloodRaven46, What path will be taken is still very much in the air. And discussions of a pairing might be paused. After all, a certain city is about to be very troublesome.

For now, enjoy meeting the Martells.

* * *

 _ **Sunspear, 276 After Conquest**_

Sunspear was a hot place.

I mean, literally. It was way hotter than Starfall.

We walked into the palace of House Martell and were soon greeted by one Norvoshi named Areo, who was apparently in the service of Prince Doran. We were led to our rooms and slowly set ourselves to do our stuff. Arthur soon found his way to the training grounds, while I made my way to the library of Sunspear.

Only now did I notice that I had not even tried to get into Starfall's library. Oh well, surely there would be other chances. Actually, considering the massive amounts of teasing I had to endure from Arthur, I was positively sure that there would be more chances.

Turns out, the Martells are an interesting bunch. Sadly, I did not get to meet their mother. From what I've heard, Princess Obara Martell must have been a formidable woman.

As I approached the library, I noticed someone nearby. Once again, before we could be introduced, I knew who she was. A young woman, perhaps of my own age, tall but frail-looking and rather slim, with big dark brown eyes and long black hair. She smiled towards me kindly before we were close enough to speak.

Princess Elia Martell was not as beautiful as the younger Lady Dayne. However, what Ser Barristan had once said about her was not true either. Perhaps she was not like Ashara Dayne, but Princess Elia had a beauty of her own. And most certainly knew how to show it.

"Princess Elia." I greeted her, she smiled kindly in response before greeting me as well.

"Prince Rhaegar. To what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked calmly, we both kept walking, but at this rate, I noticed that I would most likely not be going into their library soon.

"Well, " I began, feeling that slight blush that was only noticeable in someone of Valyrian blood like me, creeping up once more. "I was headed to your family's library, as Prince Doran had allowed me to go there."

We did not chat much. Princess Elia did have matters to attend to, and thus, after a rather short walk, we parted.

Noticing that noon was approaching, I chose to head out to the Training Grounds, where I saw Arthur sparring with Prince Oberyn. I sat and watched as Longsword faced against Spear.

It was a close match, but Arthur managed to win. Both men laughed and then Oberyn noticed me.

"What about you Silver Prince?" He smiled his viper-like smile and raised an eyebrow. "Are you as good as they say?"

With a shrug, I took up a sword. A Hand and a Half sword or Bastard Sword to be precise and went into the grounds.

Now, back at home, I had never really practiced HEMA. I wanted to, but where I lived, it was too expensive, not to mention that there was not even a budding start of a community of practicioners.

I did have some familiarity with the Late Medieval Italian swordfighting style, more specifically with Fiore dei Liberi's Flos Duellatorum. I could remember the basic stances for his _spada a dui mani_ and _spada armata_. Thus, I put on some gauntlets and waited. Of course, I had noticed that very few men practiced the art of Half-Swording. Thus I made it my own while being a squire.

You would not believe how helpful it is, when you're learning how to use a sword for real, to have an idea of those things. I can remember Ser Barristan being rather pleased with how much of a "fast learner" I was in those days with the sword.

Obviously it was harder when your opponent had a Spear. I had noticed that Arthur had barely managed to get his victory, and he was twice the swordsman that I was.

Oberyn and I circled eachother for a few moments, my sword held in a low guard, his spear ready and already close. I would have a very narrow window to block. Of course, I had other plans.

It was a risky thing, but I allowed Oberyn to make the first move. A swift thrust of his spear which should have ended the fight before it began.

I sidestepped, allowing the thrust to pass by my side as I tried to use my sword to grapple the spear away. While it did not work, it surprised him.

"Hah! I did not see that coming!" Oberyn exclaimed, a predatory smile painted on his face. Once more I let him take the initiative. Patiently waiting.

It was not easy to parry or evade his spear. Especially when he used it in such a manner. Not only did he thrust, he also used it to try and open my guard.

I needed to do something soon. However, he still had not given me an opening.

We circled, we parried blows and I tried to keep him on edge. Then I saw it, a slight spin when he tried to land a blow with his spear instead of thrusting.

Putting one hand on the middle of my blade, I closed in while he spinned, while the handle of the spear managed to hit me rather hard on the left shoulder, I had my sword against his throat.

Oberyn Martell was surprised. That much you could see in his eyes. We both soon dropped our weapons and laughed.

"You will have to tell me where did you learn that!" He exclaimed. I chuckled and shrugged nonchalantly before looking at him.

"Perhaps another day, Prince Oberyn."

That night, I dined with Prince Doran, and the next morning I embarked for King's Landing.

I had no idea what a fucking mess was waiting for me in there.


	4. Chapter 4

_**King's Landing, 277 After Conquest  
**_

Our arrival to the capital happened merely a few days after New Year, and I was most certainly not looking forward to see what was about to happen...

"Can you smell that Arthur? That is my motivation. After all, something must be done about the smell!" I said half-jesting. We both shared a good laugh as the ship was brought into the harbor.

From Sunspear, it had been a rather uneventful travel. Although some pirates had thought of trying something in the Stepstones, the few that chose to try and board were quickly dealt with. After that, we continued unmolested.

We were met by Ser Barristan, who had a mortified look on his face.

"Ser Barristan!" I greeted him with a smile, he was one of the few persons in this place that I was actually happy to see again.

"My Prince, we must make haste to the Red Keep." He stated simply. I knew then that there was something wrong.

The trip from the harbor to the Red Keep was made in quite a haste. Ser Barristan did not tell me what was going on until we arrived. The scene that I was met with when we reached the throne room made me go even more pale than I already was.

The person sitting in the Iron Throne was none other than Lord Tywin Lannister.

"Lord Hand," I greeted him, "May I know what is going on? I'm afraid that I have not been given a coherent response from anyone since I arrived."

Tywin Lannister looked at me, then stood and descended.

"Lord Darklyn had your Father imprisoned, My Prince."

If I could have gone any paler, I would have at that moment. It all clicked in place. The moment was just what I thought it was, and I had heard something about Lord Darklyn demanding something from my Father before leaving Lannisport for Starfall.

You could say that, realizing that it was the moment when Aerys' madness finally took hold, this caused me to be hyper-aware of the passing time. You could also say that I was just fucking worried because this certainly pushed home how little time I had left to avoid screwing it all up worse than my Father.

With a deep breath I looked at Lord Lannister.

"What is being done to get my Father back, Lord Hand?"

Perhaps Lord Lannister expected me to let him be there rotting for a year and succumbing further and further into insanity. Or even to have me let him be killed, and then use the chance to marry me to his daughter.

I had other plans.

"I have already sent the Royal Household troops, alongside some of my own bannermen to besiege Duskendale."

I told Lord Lannister -neither ordering nor politely asking- to talk me through the siege proceedures. And he did so quickly, almost dismissively.

As he spoke, I began thinking of ways to get rid of him. Murder would not do, not just yet. But keeping him as Hand would not work -not that he would last long if I allowed things to go as they went in canon- He needed to be out of Court, and I had to keep him away from gaining influence in court by proxy.

"Lord Hand, I shall retire to consider the issue and rest from my travel. I want the Small Council gathered tomorrow at the earliest time possible to discuss what will be done."

I could notice that Lord Lannister was not too happy with this. But he obliged, bowed slightly and retired as well.

With that dealt with -for now- I made my way to the Royal Apartaments in Maegor's Holdfast. I needed to see my Mother and my little Brother.

* * *

The Royal Apartaments were rather spacious. Which made them feel even more empty consiering that three out of four living Targaryens were present. There were a few servants here and there, but that was about it.

When I entered the room, my brother Viserys was asleep on a crib. Our mother looked at me. I did not think it twice before going on and hugging her.

Queen Rhaella Targaryen was one of those women who, in different circumstance, would definitely be remembered in history. Not only she was quite a beauty and was aging quite gracefully. She was smart, more so than my father. She was kind, caring and dutiful. And she was also quite resilient.

Were it not for the fact that she was married to a man that, as a wife, didn't particularly care for her -as siblings it was a different story, but even that aspect of their relationship was slowly breaking down- She might have had a chance of keeping my Father's youthful energy from being so utterly spent in a thousand follies in his early reign.

Sighing softly, she hugged me back, and after a few seconds we both let go.

"How have you been?" I finally asked, She let out a soft sigh and looked out of the window.

"I guess I have been well. How are you Rhaegar?" Of course, even when you happen to be a man grown sent into a baby's body, your Mother tends to realize when you're upset.

"Worried about Father." I said, not really lying actually. He was a surprisingly decent father to me. Although I knew for a fact that the Aerys that I called Father was either dying in Duskendale, or already dead. Not that I could say that. Even while Father's madness was beginning to show, Mother would still hope that he could be cured.

Before she could reply, Viserys woke up, and began crying.

It was hard to believe that the little bundle of crying and sleeping would become such a shadow of a snake instead of a Dragon.

But not if I had my way.


	5. Chapter 5

**_King's Landing, 277 After Conquest  
_**

The Small Council chambers were quiet for now. I had broken my fast at dawn and was since waiting for the rest of the Council to appear.

I was giving thought to what to do. On one hand, this was the best possible moment to ensure that Father would be unable to truly go the deep end... On the other, I would never be able to look at my mother's eyes again knowing that I caused Father's death. I know, to some of you little sociopaths it sounds irrelevant. However, spend seventeen years as someone's kid and then tell me if you could arrange for that person's death and then hide it perfectly from your mother.

No, there needed to be other way. Even if this was the thrice accursed world of Martin where everyone dropped dead left and right, I would at least do all in my power to secure my Father's life... Which did not mean his throne of course. A shadow of a plan began to form on my head. The basics were laid out.

"Your Grace." I was startled out of my thoughts by the Master of Ships.

Lord Velaryon was a tall man, with obvious Valyrian ancestry. I remembered that he had no daughters and only one trueborn son -as well as a bastard son who would grow up to be quite a badass if I recalled correctly-. Which was a shame, as it would have avoided the whole send Steffon Baratheon to Essos thing.

He was also a staunch supporter of my father at court, although that was only once he made it clear that he thought of me as a traitor and was only stopped from acting by a lack of evidence. Which hopefully would not come to pass.

"Please have a seat, My Lord. As soon as the others arrive we shall begin." I told him with a smile, and he took his usual place.

Lord Lannister and Grand Maester Pycelle came in shortly afterwards. I so need to get rid of that Maester.

Lords Chelsted and Staunton came in soon enough, and Ser Gerold Hightower did as well. Seeing how we were short of a Master of Whispers, I formally started the meeting.

"First things first... Do we have any way to know what goes on within Duskendale other than Lord Darklyn himself?"

At the lack of a response, I understood that it was not the case. Thus I made a mental note to get a Master of Whispers as soon as I could.

"Well... What is the status of the siege then? I suppose that Lord Darklyn is still a long way from even thinking around surrender."

Lord Lannister was the man to reply, his green eyes looking at me almost as you'd look at a boss that you simply would not fully respect.

"He has threatened to have the King killed should we assault the walls."

I took a deep breath and looked at them all. Then I focused on Ser Gerold.

"Ser Gerold, if I found a way to sneak men into Duskendale to rescue my Father, would you allow such an operation to contain a member of the Kingsguard? Of course, the knight in question would be a volunteer. Regardless of your Oaths I will force no man into a mission with a high risk of failure and subsequent death."

Yes, the plan was starting to take shape in my head. Without the force-multipliers (such as heavy firepower in small packages) that allow Special Forces units to perform such missions -and I remembered Entebbe all too well- I knew that I had to be even more sneaky about this. One wrong step and whatever poor asshole that was sent would end up dead in a Duskendale street. I could remember that Ser Barristan had done so successfully, but that was after a year of siege...

Ser Gerold nodded at my proposal, stating. "I would volunteer myself, Your Grace."

I nodded and thanked him before continuing.

"In that case, Lord Velaryon, I assume that Duskendale is not yet under a full naval blockade." It was not a question. The dispute between Lords Velaryon and Lannister for influence in court was quite a thing in this day and age. And my Father, that beacon of wisdom, had seen fit to play them off of each other -even though Tywin Lannister was his childhood friend-. This of course, meant that Lord Lucerys would not support fully the siege imposed by Lord Lannister.

"It is not, Your Grace. But I can have it fully blockaded within the week."

"In that case, do it at once. The sooner the ships stop docking at Duskendale altogether the better... Allow a few smugglers here and there though. Some of them could prove useful, for the right price."

With that, I adjourned the meeting and retired. I needed a drink, a bath, and perhaps some time in the training yard.

Things would soon get messy.


	6. Chapter 6

This is a short one, don't worry about it though.

Also, I beg you all readers, if you liked this, review, if you think I (as a writer, not as a character, as a character, Not!Rhaegar is supposed to do foolish things like what he's planning at times) am doing something utterly idiotic, let me know. How? In a review of course!

* * *

 ** _King's Landing, 277 After Conquest_**

The next day, I woke up early, broke my fast with my Mother and little brother, and went off to the library to wait for any news regarding the impending blockade or other developments regarding Duskendale. Having to wait -I still needed to finalize some aspects of my plan- I chose to lose myself in books before doing anything else.

By noon, I walked out of the library and headed to find something else to do. Today there would be no court held. Thus, I chose to head into the markets.

First things first, I needed a blacksmith, and a good Water Dancing teacher. As well as someone who could work linen, and someone who knew how to make a proper composite bow.

Of course, for linen, I did not need brand new linen, and the people to work it to my specifications was the easiest part. The search for a blacksmith was also relatively easy. All I had to do was to go to a certain street in King's Landing. I had someone in mind already, but I need to make sure that he is in Westeros at this point in time.

I would need a smuggler, and five months to put my plan into action.

And to keep Ser Gerold in King's Landing. I knew that he was one of those who did not believe in any sort of responsible rule. And he was an important element in ensuring the continued loyalty of the Kingsguard to Aerys in his madness... He could not be allowed in my mission.

I just realized, that I had to go myself. I simply couldn't bring myself to send off someone and leave it like that.

In order to clear my head, I walked out and into the gardens. Noticing a servant girl I called her over.

"Please get some ink, quills and parchment to my study." I said calmly, she bowed and went off. I decided that I had a letter to write.

Making my way out of the keep, my first stop was the Street of Steel. As I kept wondering how to solve the issue with glue and humidity, I saw the tallest building in the street and smiled.

Perhaps a certain blacksmith was already in the city.

Walking into the building, it was none other than Tobho Mott who recieved me.

"Blacksmith." I said "I need to commission some... Peculiar weapons." this got the Qohorik blacksmith to raise an eyebrow before I continued.

"I need a sword that can be disguised as a cane. I believe it will have to be more like the swords of the Bravos."

This apparently got the not yet so old blacksmith to smile widely. "Oh! I think I should have no problem with such a thing. Why, I made one such device for the Sealord of Braavos!"

Nodding, I looked at him "I need four such devices, when could you deliver them? I will pay half the cost now, and half upon verifying that they work as intended."

With a small hum, Tobho Mott replied "give me a month, let us discuss the price."

Once I had secured a decent price, I walked out. Wondering who could make a decent composite bow. I would need such expertise soon.

Upon returning to the Red Keep, I went to my own study, sitting on the desk and wondering what would I write. I had several letters to send, and no idea what would they say.

Finally, I settled on writing to Lord Tyrell. Perhaps this specific letter was the one that should take the highest priority.


	7. Chapter 7

**Guest:** At this point, SIRhaegar (I'll have to think of a better name for the guy) has a different main priority, that is, avoiding the chain of events that led to Robert's Rebellion. That being said, the thought process to do something so utterly stupid such as trying to save Aerys comes from a small canon bias. That is, he knows that after Duskendale, Aerys thought Rhaegar and Tywin Lannister were in league to keep him imprisoned there or even killed. Which was the start of the famously bad relation between the two. Besides that, he also hopes to resolve this crisis earlier than in canon, and see if that helps with at least prolonging a year or two his father's descent into madness. Finally, he goes through a moment of "If you want it done it right, do it yourself." What will come of these plans? We shall find out soon enough

As for Dragons... They are not his main priority _at this moment_. If I said anything else, I would be spoiling stuff.  
Thanks for the review pal.

ATK: I may do a flashback or two, I tried starting this earlier in Not!Rhaegar's life, but none of the beta chapters came out in a way that even vaguely satisfied me.

* * *

 ** _King's Landing, One Month Later  
_**

It had been a most productive month.

Now, my purge of the goldcloaks was not complete, far from it. However, what had me in the training yard of the Red Keep alongside Ser Barristan, Arthur, and a Braavosi water dancing teacher, was the rescue of my father.

I had given much thought on what to do, and I had chosen to get him back, just in case. And should he be as mad as he had become in canon -which, I had to admit, was the most likely outcome- I would force him to step aside. Exactly how, was a bit hazy on my mind, however, I would not kill him.

Hopefully we would all come out alive from this. That being said, this was Martin's world, so the most likely outcome was that one of us would die soon enough.

Arthur had adapted almost flawlessly to this type of fighting. Although he had complained about having to fight with such a tiny sword. The fact that our teacher managed to beat Ser Barristan one on one with the cane sword convinced him. I was doing decently. Not too good, but I guessed that I would probably discard the cane whenever it became feasible and not too dangerous to get a more proper sword.

Ser Barristan was struggling with the weapon however. Of course, you don't teach old dogs new tricks.

"Again." Called out the Braavosi, who I sadly must add, was not one Syrio Forel. Said Braavosi was at the moment First Sword of the Sealord of Braavos, and therefore not available to teach us.

I was so looking forward to meet the guy. Who knows, perhaps I'll have better luck in meeting Davos.

Arthur and I watched the fight. Ser Barristan was improving, perhaps in a few weeks we would be ready...

* * *

I had made my way to a garden when I was met by Arthur. He came with a large grin on his face.

"Huh?" Yes, unlike the original Rhaegar, I am not the most eloquent man around.

"Did you write to her yet?" I knew now what was he talking about.

You see, Arthur and I had made a bet when we started our training with the Braavosi, I can't remeber what would happen if I had won the bet. However, Arthur had beaten the Braavosi before I did, thus, he was the winner.

This meant, that he had been nagging me for a good two weeks nonstop about writing to his sister.

With a long sigh, I looked away, and surely I had a slight blush. "I have not... not yet."

"Oh Come on!" Exclaimed Arthur. "I'm sure she is looking forward to hear what have you been up to!"

I chuckled dryly and looked at him at last. "Then she would be very dissapointed my friend, I would be boring her to death if I were to write to her and tell her what I've been doing."

That got Arthur to laugh, eventually I began laughing along.

"Oh, come on Rhaegar! I am sure Ashara likes you already. Besides, you happen to be a Prince. Any woman would love to be your wife."

I sighed and looked at Arthur before replying, "Perhaps... but your sister is most certainly not ¨any woman¨ Arthur."

"You're damn right Rhaegar, and you better not forget that." He told me. Finally he left, leaving me alone in the garden with my thoughts.

Of course I liked the girl! What do you think I am? asexual? Attracted to Connington? No thanks. -especially the latter, much to some people's chagrin- And yes, technically it all depended on her father and not only on her. I knew all I had to do was write to Lord Ulrick, yet... It just felt wrong. Probably it is just my 21st century self being appalled at this idea...

With a sigh I made my way back into the Keep. I had already a lot to think about, even more so now.

* * *

Have I mentioned that I have the impulse to get myself a natural flamethrower, AKA: a Dragon, and burn away the Small Council?

Lord Tyrell had not answered my question. So we were still short of a Master of Whispers. The Master of Laws and the Master of Coin were so utterly spineless that it was no fun at all. Lord Velaryon was, well, a complicated person to say the least. Pycelle was Lord Lannister's creature.

And then there was The Old Lion himself.

Now, I admire the man, imposing such order in the Westerlands that his vassals will fear to even raise their voice at a Lannister for a few generations, and that after his father who was an utter mess! Still, he was dangerous, too dangerous to my liking. Yet, I still could not come up with a way to remove it. At least not soon enough.

The meeting was, as usual since my father, that fountain of wisdom, rode off to Duskendale, a mess. Lord Lannister was used to either impose his authority or be overturned by the King. With the King gone, Lord Velaryon had lost his main backer in the council.

Well, least I could do, is try to set up a counterweight to the Old Lion.

"With all due respect Lord Lannister, this proposal brings nothing to the table other than a plausible peasant revolt. It may be put down easily, but we cannot afford, while dealing with the issue of Duskendale, to face a Peasants' War or worse."

That made everyone quiet. Perhaps Lord Lannister was simply testing how much would I stand my ground. I was hoping to give him a few surprises in that regard.

"Instead," I continued "We could begin preparations to set up a more adequate road system. The Kingsroad is in most regions, a mess. With banditry growing to boot! The Kingswood and the section leading to Storm's End could be a good point to start this work." I stated.

It would be a long-ass afternoon, that was for sure.


	8. Chapter 8 - The Best Laid Plans

Hello! It has been a while. Life happens, and so, here I come back with a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it. As usual, if you agree, disagree or think I (As a writer, as a character, Bard!Rhaegar is supposed to do stupid shit here and there) am doing something idiotic, let me know in a review

* * *

 ** _The Kingswood_**

So, while we waited for the implements to be ready and all that, Arthur, myself and some other knights, rode towards the Kingswood looking for bandits. I had no idea about when the Kingswood Brotherhood was formed, but if we could put a stop to it before it escalated, things would certainly work out better. Perhaps we could avoid the whole business with Jaime and the Kingsguard.

We rode through the forest. Waiting to be ambushed. Hopefully they would already be confident enough to come at us. I had taken the best. Ser Barristan rode along, and a few other knights who were the best that did not wear white cloaks were also with us.

Banditry along the Kingsroad was indeed growing. But Father had not yet neglected the issue until the Smallfolk preferred the Brotherhood to the Crown. Seeing the Crown Prince and one of the Kingsguard ride through the towns, paying for the food consumed and rooting out thieves and murderers does help in getting popular support... Normally no one cares about the smallfolk in Westeros -save for my great-grandfather, the late King Aegon V- However, remembering the tales of the Great Peasants' War in Germany, I shuddered at the thought.

Even when crushed, those revolts were extremely dangerous. Even in the 1700s one such revolt caused great pains to Catherine the Great after all.

Thankfully, the actions taken saw that when we entered a town -such as this one- we were cheered upon.

As we rode back to King's Landing, with prisoners on tow, news came from Duskendale.

I entered the command tent of our small expedition cursing loudly. This did startle Arthur.

"I'm so going to sack Lannister after this." I said with a dark tone. Arthur looked at me, almost as if he had seen a ghost.

"Apparently his Westerlanders decided that trying to breach the walls was a good idea... Of course, they were repelled and suffered heavy loses." I explained as I took a seat and served myself some wine. As things stood, Perhaps I would call Lord Baratheon... Actually, why not do so now?

"I will put Lord Baratheon and his son in charge of the whole Duskendale matter for now." I stated. "Lannister may be a great and ruthless commander, but if he was taking care he should have been there to keep his men in line instead of playing King back at King's Landing."

In my head I was cursing at the butterflies. Secretly hoping that Lord Darklyn would go down the deep end just so I would not have to face that mess later on. This botched deal might just screw everything up anyway.

Arthur looked at me worriedly, I sighed and poured two cups of wine.

"Are you sure about it Rhaegar? He might claim that he has the right to remain as regent." He told me, taking a seat and one of the cups.

"Lord Tywin must be in a murderous mood right now. If I recall correctly he did issue orders to not try an assault..."

"So..." Started Arthur, "it would not have been a Westerlander commander, but one of the Crownlanders."

I nodded, taking a sip and adding. "Someone's out to get Father, and this is quite the chance isn't it? All you need to do is force Lord Darklyn's hand"

"You should rest Rhaegar" He told me with a pokerface. "Deal with Lannister and Darklyn and all the Duskendale mess tomorrow. We've been riding for a while and you do need to sleep."

"Bloody hell I will sleep, otherwise I might just do something that will bite my ass later." I stood up and looked at my friend. "Let's hope that tomorrow it turns out that this was a false alarm."

 ** _King's Landing, The following morning_**

To say that Tywin Lannister was furious, was putting it mildly.

Indeed the man was murderous, and nearly had the head of the commander that thought it was a good idea to try and assault Duskendale put on a spike. Cooler heads prevailed though, and said commander was most likely going to end with his head still attached to his body as he died.

Thus, when we arrived at King's Landing, everyone was waiting for news of the King's death.

Said news did not arrive. Instead, Lord Darklyn gave an ultimatum. Either the throne would aquiesce to his demands within a moon's turn, or else.

The Red Keep was in an uproar. The whole situation had escalated beyond where it should have been. We were only two months into this mess and here were things going more badly than in canon...

With no more ideas, and with everyone having noticed the rise in security which would definitely screw up my plans, I called for Lord Velaryon to meet me in Father's solar.

When he arrived, he found me writing a letter.

"My Prince." He said bowing. I motioned for him to sit down.

"Lord Velaryon, if we gathered the ships of the Narrow Sea Houses, as well as Lord Tarth's ships... How many men could we ferry to a specific location?" I asked, he looked at me in disbelief before speaking.

"That... That would be Madness! The men in the ships would be vulnerable..." I interrupted him. the Lord of Driftmark knew his trade, but he was only counting on a sudden naval assault.

"Well... What if we feint an assault on the walls, say, one week from now. While Lord Darklyn's men are busy hurrying to the walls to repel an assault, the ships force their way in and land a sizeable force in their rear. This force would need to move quickly, seizing the Keep as soon as it is possible to secure my Father, and hopefully Lord Darklyn as well."

Lord Velaryon gave it thought before answering.

"Some five to seven thousand men, My Prince... What you say could work, but I still must advice against it. It would require a level of coordination that none outside of the Unsullied possess."

I thought for a moment, then nodded.

"I thank you for your advice Lord Velaryon. I will require you to lead the fleet in person, and I shall travel there in two days." The shadow of a new plan was forming in my head. Hopefully some eager idiot wouldn't screw it up this time around.


	9. Chapter 9

Well, shit happens. Also, It appears that Roose Bolton and Rhaegar are around the same age, I should have expected that

* * *

 ** _King's Landing, 277 After Conquest_**

I had had much to think about it in the last week. Lord Tyrell had finally replied to me, stating that while he would not mind having his darling wife away for some time, she plainly refused. Something about being much more needed in Highgarden than in King's Landing. In any other circumstance, I would sadly sigh at the missed opportunity and then go on with my life.

However, this left me very little choice if I wanted to curb Lannister's influence, even less if we retrieved Father unharmed.

I was thinking of possible alternatives, Roose Bolton would probably be too young and not a person I'd find truly adequate for the post... Besides, from what vaguely I remembered about his broad story, his other amusements could be a problem, Last thing I wanted was a little Not-Ramsay running around King's Landing with the very recognizable pale Bolton eyes. Qyburn was an interesting choice, he was more suited for other posts but I have to admit that, as much as his methods were not the most ethical, he would be quite useful, He might even be amenable to creating a third choice between the Maesters and those creepy Alchemists. Alas, I had absolutely no idea where the hell he was around this time, he was at some point a Maester himself, but had he been expelled yet? and if so, where did he go? At some point a chance would come, but it was not yet.

I began thinking of other chances, a Northern Spymaster could work just as well in keeping Lord Lannister from getting even more power in the Council, Again, Bolton was too young and too troublesome, but perhaps there were others, I remembered that one of Lord Karstark's uncles or cousins was quite the schemer, although the Karstarks, with their Old gods and such might be too... northern for some.

Then it came to mind, I had an idea at last, hopefully this would work.

A Servant boy came in, a letter in his hand, I took it and noticed the Sword and Star seal on it. Nervous, I chose to put it on my desk. I had too much on my head to get to that business... Hopefully Father would not send Lord Baratheon to Essos this time around, I met him once or twice, and he seemed a sensible fellow, a man like that would be sorely needed in the years to come.

The fact that, had he not drowned to death, he would most likely have been killed by Father, made it all worse.

Another issue I needed to deal with, or at least be ready to do so, was the Ironborn. Now, Quellon Greyjoy would be an excellent Master of Ships -and that would likely keep him alive, just let him visit the Islands with frequence and have someone dispose more quietly of the less sane elements of his family... However that would also insult Lord Velaryon, and he was still quite useful, not only to keep Lannister Influence from being overwhelming, but to keep the Narrow Sea Houses happy...

"Rhaegar" I could not mistake that voice in a million years, and once more, I was startled out of my thoughts.

"Mother" I greeted her, trying to, -and utterly failing at- hiding the fact that I was tired, pissed off and very worried at this point. She sighed softly and sat on my bed.

"Is there something you'd like to talk about Mother?" I asked, figuring that I may have been spending too little time with what was left of my family. I had forgotten to put the letter inside a drawer, and among many other things, Mother had a very good sight.

She sighed and looked at me. I sat by her and she held my hands.

"It appears that you have made your mind." It took me a second to realize what she meant... Oh damn... I had forgotten that she had also been all for getting me a Volantene wife...

I took a deep breath, straightened myself further, then looked at her.

"I... I have Mother." I answered, figuring that I still did not need to explain what had happened, after all, it was not as if I was going to pull a Duncan and marry some commoner, she was noble, and my best friend's sister!

She closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded. "Very well... I still do not think it best, but if I cannot convince you otherwise, know that I will not oppose this, nor try to be a problem... Your Father however, will not like this."

I acknowledged it with a nod and simply stated, "I will handle Father once this whole deal with Lord Darklyn is done Mother." Of course, she had no way to know that I had not yet formally asked for anything, and I was not about to let her or my father know that I was still making up my mind about this. So many potential options that would be left out in the following two years, yet neither was all that appealing...

Hopefully, even if this far-fetched idea is to come to naught -and while Arthur claims that it will not, I'm not so sure of that- this will keep Father from sending Lord Baratheon to Essos.

As for me, I needed to depart, things were about to come to a head.


	10. Chapter 10

Next up, The Hammer falls down on the Darklyns

* * *

 _ **Blackwater Bay**_

Lord Baratheon had been recently asked to attend to the Council meetings, although he had no formal appointment to it. He had been doing so since shortly before the tourney at Lannisport, but he had returned to Storm's End afterwards. It did not take much to have him join us, he, Lannister and Father were close friends after all...

He was also a Family man.

I had hoped that this outing would let me meet my removed cousin Robert, however, it seemed that the lad was already at the Eyrie. Perhaps I'd find an excuse to visit Lord Arryn at some point. However, priorities are priorities, and right now, that meant ending this whole mess at Duskendale in a way that could allow me to diminish Lannister influence at court...

"Lord Baratheon" I greeted him calmly as I reached the deck of the Stormlander ship. He smiled at me, perhaps in the most sincere smile I had from anyone who was neither my close family, Arthur, or Lady Ashara. So, I smiled back as we shook hands.

"I am glad to count with you My Lord. I believe we are due to meet Lord Velaryon."

The walk back to a boat, and then the rowing and walking until we reached the quarters of Lord Velaryon on the Sea Snake was made in silence.

The meeting with Lords Velaryon and Baratheon was not a long affair, as both men agreed that the current circumstances gave us little choice anyway.

I vaguely recalled that Father may or may not have named Lord Steffon as his Master of Whispers, which was a task he was clearly not built for. Now, Baratheons have always had an understanding of warfare, and as Sun-Tzu once said, Warfare is based on deception... But courtly intrigue and palace plots were not in the nature of Lord Baratheon -and they would be even more of a strange thing for his son-

Once it was done, we all went to get some rest. The following morning we would stike at dawn.

* * *

That night, my mind drifted on to the world of dreams. I had never been a dreamer in my old life, actually, it was pretty strange for me to have a dream that I would not forget within fifteen or so minutes of waking up.

That night however, I had one such dream.

I was riding, riding to battle. By my side was a large man who had a cloak of black and gold on his armour, wielding a warhammer, as well as what could be called a phalanx of spears glistening in the sun, with the sun and spear in their shields. Banners of trouts wolves, seahorses and many others were fluttering in the wind... What unsettled me was the enemy.

The fight was in a sunny place, too sunny to be the Others coming south at last. The enemy flew scarlet banners, as well as orange and yellow banners with no symbols upon them. Fiery red cloaks and shields, screams in tongues from lands as far away as Mereen, we were outnumbered, and badly.

I could now see more properly the place, we were in a beach, on the midst of summer, the enemy was coming off of boats, and their fleet was huge, easily as large as Nymeria's Rhoynar fleet. But no women or children were here, only warriors. To our back there were hills, and a castle atop them. I unsheathed a sword, of the dark Valyrian Steel, and looked at the men that rode by me. Not only was Baratheon there, Arthur was here, Stark -Brandon Stark- and finally, Jon Connington.

I woke up as we charged them, never to know the result of this battle.

* * *

Shortly before dawn, I went to the deck. Getting on my armour and picking up a sword, I began walking to the boats. The one saving grace of all of this was that they had been forced to strip down the defenses at their harbor to reinforce the walls.

The bugle sounded, and a hundred rowboats touched land, knights and warriors came down and cut down the unsuspecting guards. I was there, and felt it like a haze. Kill or be killed, parry, sneak the blade in a weak spot of an armor, evade, parry and repeat. In the confusion, It took me a few seconds to notice that one of the men I had slain so unceremoniously wore a richer armour and had the arms of House Darklyn on his shield.

As the voice spread that Lord Denys Darklyn laid dead, his forces began surrendering, and we made our way to the Dun Fort.

In the fort, some of the defenders still resisted, but they were overwhelmed fairly easily. Few amongst our men died, and many men surrendered. As the soldiers secured the castle -and I gave orders that Lady Serala was to be brought alive to me- I ran to the dungeons, praying that Father's Sanity was not yet irreparably broken.

After killing a couple of guards who had no idea of what was going on, I reached his cell.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Duskendale_**

It was a sorry sight. Father was thin, moreso than usual. His hair and nails long, his beard unkept and his gaze errant, crazed.

He barely noticed when I opened the cell, raving about his dragon's blood and divine right to rule once he did, and continuing until I removed my helmet, then I saw something that I barely saw. He broke into tears.

I helped him on his feet, and slowly led him out of the dungeon. Then he spoke at last.

"For a moment I thought... that you were planning to keep me here..." He said. I sighed and kept walking, helping him along.

"We were cautious when we thought it was a good idea... Once we all realized that it was no longer an option, I chose to get this over with." I replied as he silently allowed me to lead him towards the great hall.

"I want House Darklyn extinguished," He said darkly -pardon my pun-, "This city will be razed to the ground and its people put to the sword."

He said this once I had gotten him to a seat, in the room, Ser Barristan was present, alongside Lord Baratheon and Lord Lannister. Both lords looked at my Father. Lannister had his emotionless look on his face while Lord Baratheon was quite obviously horrified. I chose to intervene.

"Father, Lord Darklyn is dead, and from what we've gathered, this whole business was his wife's idea... On the other hand, this is the first time since the days of The Conqueror that House Darklyn dares to oppose us, Would your rule not be more secure if you showed mercy without sacrificing justice?"

The tension was palpable in the air. I was waiting. I knew that Lord Lannister approved of Father's idea, even if he did not voice it yet. Lord Baratheon still would not speak... Finally, the Old Lion spoke.

"Your Grace, " And gone was the warmth that both men showed to eachother when they were younger and I was but a child. "While Prince Rhaegar has proven to be smart, he is also naïve if he thinks that any measure other than eliminating the Darklyns will be a proper show of the consecuences that defiying your rule brings about." I could see in his expressionless face a slight sign of victory, it showed in his eyes... Silently I thanked all gods I knew about his words. In hindsight, he should have given some thought to this.

"Out!" he screamed. "All of you! Out!" And so the four of us left the hall, worried and waiting.

A few minutes later, Father had decided to burn Lady Serala, and execute all adult Darklyns. Lord Denys' son, a babe named Steffon, would be a hostage, while the son of Ser Jon Hollard, one Rolland -who was but five years old- was to serve as my page, eventually a squire, but a hostage nonetheless.

I let out a breath that I did not know I was holding. Father was mad, despite the shorter time that the Defiance lasted, he was still the same madman he became afterwards... But perhaps there was still hope.

* * *

I had managed to keep Father from actually issuing orders to the army that slowly dissolved. Thus, save for some sacking on the area between the harbor and the Dun Fort, the city was more or less intact. I asked for an enclosed carriage to get Father out -no one should notice his sorry state- and over to the docks, where we would both board a ship to King's Landing as soon as it was possible.

The trip was awkward, we ate a simple meal in silence and eventually reached the harbor at King's Landing.

Almost immediately he secluded himself within the Red Keep, and I knew that things were about to be more complicated...

I decided that it would be best to let him busy himself while I finished something... Hopefully this one would work.

* * *

The first few days after our return to King's Landing were quiet, perhaps a bit too much for my liking. I re-settled into my routine of being endlessly teased by Arthur about his sister, of burying myself on books and swords, and took up an habit to talk to Lord Baratheon. After all, we are cousins, and he will most likely be in King's Landing for quite a while, plus, it might also smooth things out whenever I met Robert.

However, the small council meetings -which I convinced Father of letting me join- were even more tense than usual, on more than one occasion did Father outright claim that Lord Lannister was planning to take over by keeping him in Duskendale and manipulate me into marrying his daughter... Hm, would it be too much of a demented action to ban the girl from the city? probably, which did not stop me from entertaining the idea... that reminded me that I needed to keep a close watch on her and her friends, if the whole incident with the Maegi and the odd prophecy could still be avoided, it ought to... if only to make sure she has a chance at being slightly less insufferable for the poor fool that will end up marrying that girl...

In the meantime, I made a decision... I knew that Rhaegar would try to remove the King from power... no, that course of action would not work, especially with a man so sunken in paranoia -admittedly, there was still more of the man I called Father left than in canon at this point, so I guess that was a win-... No, I needed to co-opt him and the council...

Better to slowly and surely sideline him while letting him believe to have power until he dies...

Who am I kidding, this will most likely blow up on my face -it happens to be THIS world, not one where good guys with good plans tend to win- But it is still worth trying.

Then, he called the Old Lion to his solar.


	12. Chapter 12

Hello! For the last few months I have been on a creative drought, so I present this little chapter, hopefully it is to your liking.

And as usual, tell me what you think of it... in a review

* * *

 ** _King's Landing, 277 After Conquest_**

I chose to stay away from Father's solar when he called for Lord Lannister. I knew that they would come to blows, and I was secretly hoping that the Old Lion would be sent home (or that he would choose to go home rather than suffer further insult)... That would only leave Pycelle to dispose of, surely I could think of something...

As the two old friends discussed the future and many other things the likes of which I'd rather not know with detail, I sat on the desk on my own room, with a blank parchment in hand as I pondered what would I write.

No, I'm not writing to Lady Dayne -as much as some of you would love for the shipping to be done swiftly, I fear that I have other matters to attend to, such as getting the person I had in mind, ready to accept should I succeed in convincing Father about this-... Considering that I was not on the best terms with Lord Lannister would be a plus on that side...

Besides, Lord Lannister could be placated in other manners, such as not taking his heir away from him...

It took me a while to write the two letters, by the time Father and Lord Lannister were done, I had already sent them -making sure that Pycelle would have no chance to read them-. One to Winterfell, the other to White Harbor.

Hopefully this one gamble would work in some manner.

* * *

I knew that, even if I had not yet written to Lord Dayne, nor breached the subject of marriage to Ashara, I would soon need to make sure Father did not do something foolish such as sending Lord Baratheon to Essos or something like that...

Of course, as the Heir to the Throne, some could expect that I married into a more powerful vassal house -such was the rather sound logic of having me married to the little demon that is Cersei Lannister- However, House Targaryen rarely has done such a thing, and from my research I just needed a way to convince Father.

For once, Father's decision regarding Lady Serala would make sure that no respectable Essosi House, especially with proven Valyrian ancestry would dare to send a daughter to marry in Westeros for a generation, even less if the groom was a Targaryen.

Now that I think about it however, perhaps the descendants of Maegor -the little kid son of Aerion the Brightflame- could be convinced -if they still exist- But Father need not know that after all...

I was brought out of my thoughts by Arthur, who came in with an annoyed face.

You see, he had taken the White as soon as we arrived to King's Landing. Thankfully, seeing that Father still trusted me to a point with all and his madness, meant that he quite preferred to have the Sword of the Morning guarding him in certain situations... such as meeting Lord Lannister.

"How bad did it go?" I asked almost offhandedly, neither of us in the mood for the endless teasing that had taken place since our return fom Duskendale.

With a grunt he sat down nearby and helped himself to some of the wine I had nearby -Father would be mad if he saw that, but he was not around and Arthur had become like a brother to me in all these years- before speaking.

"Lord Lannister resigned" He said simply.

At that I smiled, then immediately erased the smile from my face, this would make things easier... Plus, it also gave me a chance.

"Any ideas on who could be his replacement?" I asked him, wondering how to convince Father to name the two men I had in mind to the council...

"Well, no names were given, but I would not be surprised if His Grace intends to make Lord Baratheon his hand."

I nodded, and soon enough we had changed our topic, a servant brought ink, quill and parchment, and Arthur knew what I was about to do... Which of course meant that the endless teasing had returned.


	13. Chapter 13

_**King's Landing**_

The only one to mourn Lannister's departure to an extent, was Maester Pycelle... However, the small council was now short of a Hand of the King and a Master of Whisperers... Early that morning I had recieved letter from Lord Manderly, stating that he was willing to accept if Father offered him the latter position... The former was being handled de facto by Lord Baratheon, and I hoped that it would be more than de facto soon enough.

Slowly, I walked into Father's apartments in the Red Keep, he seemed to enjoy my visits to an extent, and despite the consuming madness, I could still see some of the starry eyed man that I had called father. Perhaps I could not truly keep the madness itself at bay, but I could keep him from giving into it entirely.

"Ah! You are here my son!" Father said with a gleam on his eyes that nearly frightened me. He was indeed mad and he was not going to get better... hopefully I could at least make him see, in his crazed state, the wisdom of not burnng people...

"Is something wrong Father?" I asked, he did not ask for my arrival, but seemed quite happy about it... which was unnerving enough...

He turned to me, almost analyzing me before stating, "I hear that you and Lord Lannister did not see eye to eye when it came to how the kingdom should be ruled in my absence..."

I shrugged before answering, figuring that this was just in that dangerous border between innocuous and deadly. "Father, all great lords think of their houses and their lands, that is their duty... Our house however, has a duty to see for the whole realm. Some lords may confuse their own good with the good of the realm, or even convince others of making the two to be the same, I disagreed on that with Lord Lannister. I may be wrong, but with you absent, someone had to think of the whole realm and not of a single house..."

I admit that, while I do believe what I told Father, I was not being entirely honest, I was thinking mostly on how to avoid the whole mess between Duskendale and Robert's Rebellion... So far things seemed to go decently.

He looked at me for a moment, then laughed, and laughed, and laughed some more.

"Hah! And the Lion did not dare threaten you! Maybe I did something right after all!"

He continued laughing for a moment, so I sat on a chair nearby, he sat on the bed and finally took a deep breath.

"You need a wife, a proper wife of Valyrian Blood. I am sure that any of those Volantene peasant lords would fawn over marrying their daughters to a descendant of the last Dragon Lords..."

I sighed and looked at him before denying with my head.

"I don't think that is going to be possible Father... For once, the Volantenes see us as Barbarians who adopted the Andal ways... And from what I've heard, although I have no reliable sources for it, Most Essosi houses wouldn't send their daughters to Westeros for marriage even if it meant gaining the whole land as personal holdings after the whole business with the Darklyns..."

Having said that, I braced for impact, here I would finally know what kind of man he was becoming this time around... He just stared at me for a moment, as if motioning for me to continue, then he asked.

"Have you got a better idea?"

I sighed, It was now or never... damn, I still had not broached the issue with either Lord Dayne or Ashara... then again, surely Arthur had already ratted me out.

"I... Well, this means that I will have to marry in Westeros, but as much as you are king, even the mightiest of kings would be a fool to break an already decided betrothal, which leaves us out of the network of alliances... thankfully Lannister is also shut outside of this network so far. And No, I am not marrying Cersei Lannister, even if there were absolutely no other choice." That did cause Father to chuckle a bit, and with him, it was always good to emphasize on my lack of affection for Lannister... especially to soften such a statment...

"All things considered, I intend to marry Lady Dayne..."

Father remained quiet, Of course this was a big deal, and I could tell he was trying to wrap his mind around this...

"Yet, you are supposed to have a song of ice and fire..." He trailed off, looking at me. I knew what was he trying to say.

"Father, with all due respect, she is already betrothed, and while you could forcibly break the betrothal, you would be pushing two houses that have been quite loyal to the crown, into rebellion, or at least into being amiable to such ideas... I don't think that it is a wise idea."

He looked at me, waiting for me to say something else, of course he did not like to be contradicted, but at least I had avoided the mess of him actually thinking me a traitor... not that he was not teetering on the edge of pushing me into treason to avoid him from doing something so utterly stupid...

"I intend to marry Lady Ashara Dayne, After much thought on the matter, I believe she is the best option available."

After a tense few seconds of silence, Father said that he had much to think about, and told me to get out of the room, and so I did, deciding that I needed to find a way to remove him from power... just in case.


	14. Chapter 14

So, this is a short one, but there is not much to say for now. Enjoy a wrench in the plans once more.

Also, Osterreicher, I have some plans regarding that specific prophecy, but they're still too far away to be even relevant. And BloodRaven46, Bard Rhaegar actually agrees with you, While Aerys does believe in that prophecy...

TMI: I was thinking back then to have Aerys offed, but that would be a bit too convenient wouldn't it? As for the Bravos, their swords seem to be effective, _if used in the right way_ , which means, getting them into the joints of an armor. The plan however, was to have them as a last-resort weapon during the infiltration, with the three (Rhaegar, Arthur and Barristan) changing them for more proper swords on the first chance.

* * *

 ** _King's Landing_**

As I had expected, Father was too busy worrying about potential traitors to even think of the small discussion, that was good for me, as I had recieved a reply to my latest letter.

The Old Lamprey was most definitely willing to act as a Master of Whisperers. I know, he's not THE most qualified possible choice, but I do need to give carrots to the North and the alliance that was already forming, at least until I had a big enough stick to make sure Lannister did not try anything... overambitious... Furthermore, Lord Stark had also written, announcing privately his express approval so long as the King officially made the call.

Deciding that today was not the day for this, I went off to the training yard. My young Darklyn page watched and I made sure to give him a bit more of a show than usual. After an hour or two, and quite tired, I went back in, there were still things that needed to be done... such as trying to talk father into listening to my idea of an appointment.

* * *

Shit.

The fucking Spider is already here.

Well, there goes my carrot for the North, I guess things will be much harder now.

Oh, some of you might say "Oh but Varys serves the Realm, he should notice that the realm is better served if you do sideline your father, he is a good ally"

Bullshit, I don't believe in any man that claims to simply serve the realm. He has some ulterior motives for this whole thing.

"Prince Rhaegar." Said the aformentioned eunuch with a seemingly clumsy bow, shaking me out of my thoughts.

"Lord Varys, I will be watching you closely." Was all I said before walking off, he did not need to know, not just yet...

Oh, who am I kidding, this is Varys, he will find out at some point.

The walk back to my rooms was quiet, the Keep, if it were alive, would probably be settling back to its normal semi-mysterious and somewhat tired attitude, Father had called Lord Baratheon to his solar -I discovered later that he had been made Hand- Mother was with Viserys, and Arthur was with the King. I did hear one thing that I would have liked to not hear when I passed by Father's rooms.

"And Steffon, bring Robert to court, the Lad would do well knowing the rest of his family."

I only hoped that it would be a long time from now, I'd rather avoid butterflies on that front for now. Besides, since when did Father consider the Baratheons as family? I know, I know, he and Lord Baratheon are cousins, but he had not seemed to care about that lately... Now that I think about it, perhaps I knew just how to make a friend of Robert, start by gifting him a warhammer... Hell, name it _banhammer_ while we're at it!

Ignore that pun, it was terrible, anyway, as I arrived at my bedroom, a servant girl carried a letter, sealed with the star and the sword. I knew what this meant... I have not been this nervous over a letter since that time I recieved my acceptance letter into university... when was that? twenty? twenty-five years ago?

I opened it slowly, then read its contents.

Sighing contently I put in in the drawer, at least something was going according to plan.


	15. Chapter 15

yesboss: No, he has not tried, perhaps when he is King.

Guest: You're right, I nearly went all out with a slightly more... tinfoil-ish theory regarding the origin of the Daynes, in the end it will be brought up, but not necessairly believed by Bard Rhaegar.

* * *

 _ **King's Landing**_

Have I mentioned that Viserys is absolutely adorable?

Probably I haven't, so let me repeat myself, that kid is freaking adorable.

The ball of gurgling and giggling was on my lap, using my leg as an impromptu horse with the widest baby grin you could imagine. Mother was also there, watching, smiling warmly at the scene. Surprisingly enough, Father was standing on the door, smiling at the scene. One could almost believe that we were a normal family.

 _Almost_

Of course, good things tend to end soon, so Father soon left.

So far, his madness had not caused him to harm Mother, so I was watching, trying to come up with a plan.

Perhaps I could use Father's belief of prophecies to both, nix the whole idea that seemed to be around his head, and get him to avoid doing anything stupid... Er, more stupid than last time.

Viserys soon fell asleep and Mother took him off to his cradle. Leaving me alone in the room.

Soon enough I stood up and walked out, heading to the grounds. However, I was interrupted by a servant.

"Your Highness" He bowed before looking at me... was he afraid? "Your Father the King wishes to speak to you."

Sighing, I made my way to Father's solar. He sat on the desk, apparently not expecting me to come at once.

"Father? You have need of me?" I asked, looking at him

"I did not expect to have you here so quickly... Have a seat boy"He told me, surprisingly enough I did not notice hostility or any malicious intent... Although, things were going better than in canon so far.

"Is something the matter?" I asked, his own purple eyes looking at me as if examining me. Then he spoke.

"I suppose you still intend to marry your friend's sister." He told me. I sighed, hoping that things were not about to go better.

"I do Father, and before you think about it, I did think about marrying into House Martell... " He raised an eyebrow, and I could see he was thinking of it, of course, not only was he quite notably sticking the middle finger to Lord Lannister by doing this, he would also get me a wife with _some_ valyrian blood... I on the other hand, noticing that the last decent King was not the child of a traditional Targaryen marriage, preferred to avoid that... "However, " I continued, "It appears that Princess Elia will most likely marry into the Hightowers instead." I remembered something about it, and from what I had heard, the idea was very much alive at this point.

"And marrying a lower house is any better?" He asked, I sighed and looked at him.

"Father, as it stands, we don't have too many options available. The Volantene and Lysene houses won't send a daughter here after what happened to Lady Serala, not that she did not deserve it- and from the Great Houses, either there are no daughters or they are betrothed... Unless we count Cersei Lannister who we both agree, is not a good choice..." Father nodded at this, then looked at me. "Since I have no sisters or cousins to marry in the... tradition..." how hard was it to hide my disdain for it "of our ancestors, we don't have many decent options."

He frowned a bit at that, but appeared to accept my logic. I decided to throw in one last thing.

"Besides, the Daynes are known to have Purple Eyes, Silver Hair, or both at times, Had Arthur grown in lands with less sun, he could even pass as blood of Valyria..." It was true, were it not for the tanned skin... Of course, the Daynes have -as far as I know- no Valyrian blood, actually, didn't Martin himself debunk that at some point? anyway, even if all the wacky theories about House Dayne being descended from the Imperial line of the Great Empire of the Dawn (and their whole Dawn and Sword of the Morning thing do fit the theme now that I think about it) are false, I could still use them to my advantage... Father does not need to know what I know.

Apparently noticing what I left unsaid, Father nodded, sighing and looking at me. "Very well, you have convinced me to let you go ahead on this... issue." He finally said, I noticed that it was more out of a lack of a better idea than anything else, but at least it was the biggest hurdle out of my way.

Now that I think about it, Things have been going too well lately... I think something is about to happen, in this world, there is not such long times of calm or long stretches of time where things go so well, if there's not some big ugly mess waiting around the corner.

After talking of more mundane matters, and then some about ruling, I went to my rooms, hopefully whatever ugly mess was waiting, would wait a bit more.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Unknown Location**_

I woke up, rather sore. The bedroom was different, the bed was different... they were neither the bedroom and bed I had been occupying for the last years, nor were they the ones I could vaguely recall from a life so different as to make it unimaginable.

A servant brought water, bowed and left. And I saw my reflection on it, startling me.

It was not the face I had seen for seventeen years. Instead, it had tanned skin, short black hair and dark eyes.

One could almost say that the face staring back at me from the water, was Dornish or Rhoynar, but I recognized it too well to think so.

Still confused by this ordeal, I got dressed -and I was still in Westeros- Noticing that my skin was indeed of that tone.

"This must be a dream" I told myself as I walked out, seeing a courtyard, on it was a young man, with silver hair that fell to his shoulders. He looked at me, and I recognized him, he bore the face I had grown used to. But I knew it was not me.

"I suppose this is either some sort of hallucination... otherwise, I'll have to assume some odd magic that not even _you_ should know" I said calmly, there was a tree, neither shade of the evening nor one of the northern weirwood trees. Only a regular tree, with regular wood and regular sap.

He looked at me, and what seemed to be the canon version of Rhaegar fucking Targaryen let out a small sigh before answering "Then I am just as clueless as you are..."

"Any idea of what is this place?" I asked, leaning on the tree as I looked at the courtyard, it was definitely not the Red Keep

"I have none... I suppose you already know me." He told me, He had an air of solemn sadness to him... I couldn't help but wonder if I carried that same air to myself.

"A bit, you could say... I can only hope this is some sort of inter-universe comunication, not even _you_ deserve being a prisoner in your own mind since birth." Have I mentioned that I never really liked Rhaegar before all this ordeal? Now, I don't think he was a rapist in canon, but he still felt too shortsighted considering that he should have known of the temper and character of both Brandon Stark and Robert Baratheon... anyway, where was I? oh yes.

"I am not sure I understand exactly what you are saying, but I have not been a prisoner in my own mind, so I suppose you're right."

"What is the last thing you remember?" I asked, sitting on the ground beneath the tree, figuring that it would do no harm

"The Trident" He deadpanned, and I nearly panicked for a moment? was I dead now? Had it all been for naught? Figuring that if I was, pancking would not change anything I waited for him to move. He sighed and looked at me, he was definitely more melancholic than I expected. And probably a bit more sane...

"I guess I ought to have taken a path more similar to yours... That being said, I think I should remind you of one thing that your people is oddly fond of saying..." That piqued my interest, did this dead Rhaegar know about my origins? how? Or he was most likely a hallucination. Most likely I took a nasty fall or something like that...

"Beware of the Butterflies, because the Dragon still must have three heads..."

I nearly facepalmed and looked at him. "With all due respect _Targaryen,_ " And there was a venom in my voice that even surprised me "Had you waited just a bit more, you would have noted that maybe the Three Heads did not need be born to _you_... Now, if you excuse me, I have matters to attend to."

With that I stood up, and the world faded to black.

* * *

 ** _King's Landing_**

I woke up in my room. Although a part of my mind couldn't help but remain uneasy at the sudden reminder that I was not born Rhaegar Targaryen, or rather, that my existence did not begin with such a name. It appeared that it had been just a normal night's sleep.

Of course his words are troubling. The scheming idiot must know something I don't. Before this ordeal, I'd dismiss such a dream as an odd thing and carry on... but now?

Of course, I had already caused quite the amount of Butterflies to roam the land. From the insignificant ones -at least insignificant for now- to the more serious ones. All I can do now is hope that those Butterflies don't cause a Storm that kills us all.

The new day was surprisingly uneventful. This did nothing at all to help calm my mind, the other Rhaegar's words stuck on my mind. I trained with Arthur, read some books, spent time with Viserys and Mother -Father had secluded himself on his rooms, apparently needing to think of matters regarding Dragons-... Too calm for my liking.

On the evening, I was called by my Father, and I knew things were going wrong.

Coming out of it, I could already see the first actual Storm coming... The Winter was harsh, and in the Mountains of the Moon, the Clansmen were increasing their raids on the Vale... however, some more adventurous clansmen were heading into the other side of the mountains, down in the Riverlands, and rumors abounded, that they had taken a page out of the book of the Wildlings beyond the wall.

Apparently most clans had rallied behind one who now styled himself as "King in the Mountains"

Fuck the Butterflies.


	17. Chapter 17

_**King's Landing, 278 After Conquest**_

It was shortly after New Year when news came once more from the Vale. Lord Arryn had been able to push the clans of the so-called King in the Mountains out of the fertile valleys and into the Mountains of the Moon. The campaigning for both sides however had stopped, as both were quite bloodied and needed to lick their wounds.

The man was called Dolf, son of Holger of the Stone Crows, a large towering man that had apparently beaten all other clan leaders in single combat. He had briefly forged the clansmen into a formidable army, and then descended upon the Vale with fire and sword, Even managing to defeat the initial force that Lord Arryn had gathered to fight back. However, even as there were already grumblings of some lords of how Arryn was not capable of putting an end to this, He and forces from his own demesne as well as houses Royce and Waynwood had beaten them quite badly below the Giant's Lance. That being said, the Clansmen had managed to obtain proper weapons and chainmails from this foray, so it was a sure thing that as soon as they had licked their wounds, they would come down again on the Vale... If this Dolf managed to keep them united for that long that is,

There was one clan that was notoriously missing, but we learned later that the Redsmiths had wandered off to the Riverlands rather than following a Stone Crow, and after a series of defeats, their leader, being smart for a clansman, accepted an offer extended by Lord Blackwood, who was too happy to do so as they had been a pain in the ass for Lord Bracken and also followed the Old Gods.

As relieved as I was that the whole matter was dealt with, I'll admit I would have loved to finally get myself up to the Vale and at last meet Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark.

Thus, once more, as New Year rolled in, and Viserys slowly grew, things settled down. Father's madness seemed in check, and I kept sparring with Arthur.

Today, one of these long and admittedly not too exciting days, I couldn't help but enjoy the sparring.

Unlike the chaotic cacophony of death that had been Duskendale, the sparring was orderly, clean and even relaxed -or as relaxed as you can be when you and your best friend are trying to one up each other with blunt swords-. Today however, my mind was not fully on the blade, and it showed.

I've always thought that Rhaegar was not quite the best swordsman in canon. Of course, having Arthur with him, he did not need to... not until he did need to be the best at the Trident and was found lacking. Hopefully that would not happen this time around -no, it will not happen, I'll make sure of it- but to me, it was a lesson.

Never underestimate sheer fighting prowess, especially in moments where a brilliant military mind won't save you from a sword to your neck.

Once I had yielded, we both returned to our usual activities around the Red Keep, since Lannister was gone, this mostly entailed Arthur following me. After all, without Lannister around, Father did not feel the need to keep the Sword of the Morning by his side. I for one, did not object to this new arrangement.

Besides, soon enough he would be following another family member around the Red Keep.

"So...?" I cursed inwardly as we both reached a rather secluded part of the keep.

"I asked your Father, who obviously is pleased about it... But I believe I will need to do one thing before it comes to pass."

That surprised Arthur, eyebrow raised, the Sword of the Morning looked at me, as if prompting me to continue.

"What would you say of a small travel, you me, a couple of horses and ride down until we reach Starfall?"

The smile in Arthur's face was almost wicked at my suggestion, I sighed -slightly annoyed- before adding "Besides, we could stop at Summerhall on the way... I guess I need to come to peace with that place."

That was true. Unlike Canon Rhaegar, I had never had much of a desire to go to the ruined castle. A part of me feared that the melancholy that usually overtook him, and the possible madness that consumed him in the end, might have something to do with the constant visits to that damned ruin... That being said, I do need to make peace with it, face whatever is there and come out on top...

"There's something else though" Arthur said after a few minutes, "You're quite distracted, even by your standards."

I sighed, and figuring that there would be no one listening around here, I chose to reply.

"Just a very strange dream... nothing to worry about." I was not entirely convinced of that myself though.

"Yet, you fret about it Rhaegar..."

"Aye, you know me too well Arthur, it should pass in a couple of hours."


	18. Chapter 18

Oops, I uploaded without author's notes, So... Buckle in and prepare for a small ride.

Also, as is Traditional, my responses:

Osterreicher: You're about to see

yesboss: I still have plans with the Clansmen, some snippets have been revealed, others will in due time.

tamagat: Yeah, you got me there, I only noticed once you pointed it out actually, hopefully I won't break the inmersion (more than the normal in such stories) as we go further)

Without further ado, enjoy this chapter, and please leave your comments as well.

* * *

 ** _Summerhall_**

Convincing Father to let us go was easier than I thought, he had laughed then agreed that it was not a bad idea to ask in person... I could see the satisfied face of the Spider though, And that to me was almost enough to cancel the trip... In the end, I had to ask both, Mother and Ser Barristan to keep an eye on the Varys.

I, of course, had a bad feeling about this. Worst case scenario, my departure had just handed Varys the chance to do something drastic.

No, I have never truly believed the idea that Varys, Illyrio and one Serra Mopatis are part of some sort of Blackfyre (or half-Blackfyre, as it would be considered for the female line) conspiracy to hold the throne... However, I can say I do believe that the Spider had a hand in securing Aerys and Rhaegar's disastrous relationship in canon, and I would not be surprised to hear that Illyrio Mopatis was most definitely a part to whatever that was.

Father's madness was slightly tamer than in the canon world, and despite his excesses, the fact that Viserys was growing healthy, had been a balm that at least had calmed his impulse of seeing in Mother a traitor.

I could not count on it lasting forever, or even for too long.

Arriving at the old ruins was a rather underwhelming experience. Arthur and I rode through the spaces available, I did pick up a few things -two dragon eggs included- but otherwise, it was an unremarkable experience... However, we would have to spend the night here.

If I had to compare Summerhall with anything, it would actually not be anything in Westeros. I'd compare it with Pompeii, parts of the structure were very well preserved, but the place was blackened in a way that reminisced more of Harrenhall than Pompeii, even if only because the latter had been covered in a cement-like substance come from the pyroclastic discharges of Vesuvius.

Arthur fell asleep rather soon, but something about this place prevented me from doing so... I made my way out of the tent and headed out to watch the stars, only to be met by a woman. She was old, with long white hair, a thick black cane, and reddish eyes. She looked at me, unflinching. I sighed, still sitting beneath one of the trees that boldly dared to grow on this ruin.

"You know," I said "I have to admit I had not expected to see you in this place, I thought you lived on the Riverlands." The woman, the Ghost, sat as well, facing me.

"You were supposed to come here long ago... yet also, you were not supposed to come at all. What can I do when the songs sung to me contradict each other?" She replied with weary eyes.

"Yet you still convinced my Grandfather to make a marriage that would bring only grief and pain, based on a prophecy that in truth promises only blood and despair... I have a question for you Ghost, are we men tied to a destiny written on stone? Or is destiny something that depends on what a man makes of his life?"

In her face, it was obvious that I had surprised her, she looked at me, then at the ruin, then back at me.

"I gorged in enough despair in this place, the songs only began to change afterwards... I believe man can forge destiny, but such things are more tricky than any other endeavors"

There were a few seconds of silence, then she spoke again.

"Whatever happened in this place, the songs were changed, gods, Old and New and Foreign all play a game, My Prince, but someone else sought to break this game... Perhaps that is why you are here, to break not the game of the nobles, but that of the gods."

Her words echoed with that dream, and they also made me think.

"You know what I am, how I came to be here, maybe even why... " I stated, she simply nodded and then I continued. "Then you saw a war coming, one unlike any other."

"I am not responsable for what happened, but I did see such a war. White and Red, Both terrible in their might, shall descend upon your reign, rainbows and crows and squids will watch, and still, even they will break... But the songs have not come to an end, and the conclusion is not yet written."

White and Red, it sounded like Ice and Fire, but it was no song, it was death, the other references did not escape my mind, and a thought came to it...

A thought so terrifying that I decided that this could not stay in such a way.

"Pray tell me Ghost, in the songs you were sung before my... arrival... was there an ending to them?"

She nodded before saying "Yet, perhaps this time men will craft the ending instead of gods."

With those words she stood up, with any trace of sleep throroughly driven out of my mind, I watched the stars, thinking.

Hopefully neither Ice nor Fire would speed up their plans.


	19. Chapter 19

Well, this was not quite easy to write, and I sincerely hope that setting things up in this manner is not jumping the shark heh. I hope you enjoy this bit of madness

* * *

 _ **Starfall**_

We arrived at Starfall shortly before noon -after a rather long ride down the Reach and then crossing the Red Mountains through the Prince's Pass, where we did not lack opportunities to joke around and bash bandits- And we were recieved by Arthur's older brother, Vorian Dayne was an interesting figure, even if in canon he was barely remembered and never spoken about. Taller than Arthur or myself, with black hair, a short beard and eyes that were outright purple and piercing, even when they were friendly. Last time we had been here he had not smiled too much, right now however, he seemed somewhere between happy and worried.

We discovered that Lord Dayne had fallen ill while we were traveling.

We recieved the Bread and Salt, we were ushered in, and soon enough Arthur was called up to his Father's solar.

I saw nothing of Ashara that day, at least until dinner.

Lord Ulrick Dayne looked better than I expected, and I was relieved about it. Hopefully it would not be something too grave. However, the dinner turned to a happier mood once Lady Dayne -Ashara's Mother that is- announced it.

She was pregnant.

It took me a few seconds, as we all smiled, congratulated Lord and Lady Dayne and returned to eating with our spirits high, to recall, no, I knew that Ned Dayne was too young... However, Lady Allyria Dayne, the eternal betrothed of one Beric Dondarrion, yes, it had to be her...

Lord Dayne excused himself rather early, Arthur went off to have a talk with Vorian -A part of me couldn't help but wish they had not- and, like that day that fueled what little pleasant dreams I had lately, I was left with Ashara.

Now, I have to admit, I felt a bit like one certain big Baratheon oaf at that moment, mostly due to the fact that my mind had been trying not only to rationalize this obviously irrational decision, it had also built a small fixation on the young woman that looked at me with large purple eyes and a slight smirk on her face.

"If I did not know Arthur better, I would say he is trying to set us up, My Prince." She said, breaking the not so uncomfortable silence. I felt my cheeks heating up slightly, not too much -which meant with my Valyrian coloring, that I still had to be blushing noticeably- and shrugged.

"I have to admit that, if that were the case, I could not bring myself to be angry at your brother, My Lady." I replied, managing to smile in a more relaxed manner than how I actually was.

Ashara laughed, that happy rather honest laughter that, if I have to be honest here, made my heart skip a beat, I couldn't help but laugh along, then she looked at me.

"I suppose that you did not ride with my Brother all the way from King's Landing just to see me." Straight to the point huh? Admittedly, I did not feel like playing that same game.

"What if I did?" By then we had apparently given up on the formalities, but neither of us seemed ready to just go on and call the other by their given name... this did give her pause, she looked at me, and the laughing purple eyes turned piercing.

She looked at me, surprised but not apparently uncomfortable. A warm smile settled on her face, and it seemed genuine enough.

"I would be flattered" She finally replied, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, and then I spoke.

"Would you join me in the nearby balcony?" I asked, she chuckled and took my outstretched hand.

"I would not mind, although I do not understand your fascination with the balconies of Starfall"

I chuckled, and we both headed to the balcony. It was a bright night, full moon and all that, and for a minute or so, all that was there to hear, was the quiet sound of the waves.

"Perhaps it could be with balconies in general... although, there is something especially soothing about Starfall" I said and she chuckled slightly, leaning on the railing -and so did I-

Before silence could claim us again, she spoke.

"I heard that you wrote to my Father..."

Shit...

"I did, yes" Was all I could come up with, she looked at me, more curious than anything.

"Then why come at all? You are aware that we would have gone... Actually, I expected you to wait for the Lady Lannister..."

I sighed, looking at the sea, oh this was just wonderful, she knew about this...

"Well, I thought it better to come here myself... I am aware that in Dorne, women have more liberties than in the rest of the realm, so I thought prudent to ask you... Will you have me as your husband?" In my mind, I facepalmed, this was definitely not how I was expecting this to go... as a matter of fact, what was I even expecting? I definitely was not thinking this through...

She looked at me, apparently expecting any other explanation but that. She then laughed.

At first I winced, it took me a second or two to notice that it was not a mocking laughter, it was that same laughter of earlier. that warm genuine laughter of hers. After a few seconds she smiled at me

"I would have you Rhaegar Targaryen"

We stayed on that balcony for an hour or two, we talked about a bit of everything, about family and war and humor and more.

I have to admit that, once we agreed that it was time to retire, to go each to their chambers, I slept better than I had since Duskendale.

When sleep finally claimed, I'm sure I had a dorky smile on my face.


	20. Chapter 20

**_King's_** ** _Landing_**

The trip back to King's Landing was unremarkable other than by its speed, but I was in a bit of a hurry, after all, I definitely did not trust Varys to remain with Father if I was not in the city... Therefore, I was forced to cut short my _definitely_ pleasant stay in Starfall.

No you little perverts, it has not gone _there_ yet, even in my old life, in a world that did not give a damn about such matters, I was actually looking forward to not engaging in such activities until marriage, so yes, I had died a virgin... _anyway,_ going back to business, Arthur and I arrived at King's Landing shortly after noon and then into the Red Keep. Father was quiet, and he did not demand our presence...

I knew that we ought to have some years of relative quietness, with the King settling into his madness without going into full burn them all just yet, no major wars, and just go with the last years of Winter alongside a false spring...

It was the following morning that I noticed that we were not as alone as we usually were... Lord Baratheon, and his two eldest children -Lady Baratheon had remained at King's Landing with the newborn Renly- just so happened to be here, at court.

Robert was three years my junior, already taller than me and on his way to be well-muscled, with bright blue eyes, a wide warm smile on his face, and obviously charming. Stannis was a year younger than Robert, with the same blue eyes, and a mostly calm demeanor, if slightly sullen. I smiled at them both, greeted Lord Baratheon cordially, and we all took to break our fast...

"Ah, My Son, you are early! Just as well, as you see, Lord Baratheon is now my Hand, so I have asked him to bring his sons... " Father stated before turning to Steffon. If he was uncomfortable, he was fairly good at hiding it... "Sadly, Young Robert will have to go back to the Eyrie in a week, it appears that he is squiring for Lord Arryn, although, from what I've seen here, he shouldn't be a squire for too long..."

I nodded at that. And soon enough my Mother arrived as well. Steffon smiled at her -it was that sincere smile I had come to see a few times, and which was strangely absent when he spoke to Father- and I could almost feel something odd in the way Mother smiled back at him. Pushing the lingering thoughts out of my head I decided to just listen.

The breakfast was dominated by Robert's stories of his adventures at the Eyrie -which had cut down on certain aspects, no doubt at the prompting of his father-My father laughed when Robert spoke of some of his adventures with young Eddard Stark and the Arryn boys, Denys -who had to be my age or even slightly older from what I could make out of the tales- and Elbert, who was Lord Arryn's Nephew.

"Dear Cousin, you ought to bring your sons more often" Stated Father as we finished with the breakfast, Steffon Baratheon did something that I had definitely not expected... After telling both Robert and Stannis to follow me to the Training Yard, he gave my father a slightly sheepish smile. One could argue, due to the friendship that maybe, just maybe still existed between them.

The walk towards the Training yard was quiet, but it was obvious that Robert was looking forward to it, maybe a bit more than he should. Stannis on the other hand did not seem half as enthused about this whole business... When we arrived, we were recieved with a small spectacle. Arthur was going against Ser Barristan.

The three of us watched, Stannis in awe, Robert with a face that said 'when will it be my turn' and I with a slight smirk on my face. Once that was done, Robert ran towards the master at arms, getting a practice warhammer.

Now, one thing that I need to clear before going on. No, Warhammers are not these Massive Sledgehammer-like weapons that need both hands and a hefty amount of strenght in arms and torso to use effectively. Robert did use a two-handed hammer, a short pole-hammer which was around as long as a boar spear, had a spike on top -so it could be used as a spear- and a relatively small but hard hammerhead -something like a shorter Lucerne Hammer-. A Warhammer is actually surprisingly nimble, and allows its user to exert both great force, and do so in a very graceful way.

Arthur looked at me, smirked and I shrugged, going for my armor and a longsword. Now, I do know how to properly use a hammer, but I'm not realy a fan of it, I prefer the two-handed swords... I soon regretted not going for a polearm myself.

Robert Baratheon... The Robert we find at the beginning of the books or series is a fat man who has let himself go into his grief and anger. This Robert? He's a jolly young man, fit, very strong and quite agile. And he's not even at his peak! I tried using my longsword and half-swording to grapple the polehammer from his hands. This did surprise him, but was not enough.

Of course, he won in the end, it was a long and hard duel, but not only was he more skilled with his polearm, I dare say that being younger than myself he might already be stronger. We both laughed afterwards, and I got some wine brought to us.

As the morning turned into noon, it turned out that perhaps things could still work out better... Hopefully their father being alive for longer will mean that these two won't have a relationship nearly as fucked up as they originally had...

So long as that does not end up biting my arse later, I guess that's fine.


	21. Chapter 21

So, my muses aided me in writing this thing so quickly. Therefore, I hope you enjoy this... before I go on however, some replies.

Awkane: No, the burnings and rapings have not started yet. Aerys' descent into madness is somewhat slower and the fact that he has not been poisoned against his family means that, at least _for some time_ he can be kept reasonably in check, key words being _for some time_

Guest: Well, I've come to believe that Robert only got into whoring and drinking his life away when in grief and serious pain. Look at it this way, Mya Stone was conceived pretty much just after he had returned to the Eyrie after seeing his parent's ship sink with them on board. And after the rebellion, he was pretty much in constant grief. Heck, if my memory serves me, he even quit whoring for six months while trying to make an absolutely loveless marriage to work. He's not blameless but I've come to think that at least some of the things he gets flak for, are not entirely warranted... As for the Tyrell girls, I will be closing one potential avenue here, but there are some more options around...

Osterreicher: How relevant will that be? only time will tell

Hadrian: So do I, to be honest, so do I

yesboss: to answer to your various questions... the strange woman was the Ghost of High Heart, the woods witch that came with Jenny of Oldstones. The Redsmiths will play a role that is still taking shape on my head... and I agree, fuck Varys.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. Warning, if you seriously hate Robert Baratheon, you won't like this chapter.

* * *

 _ **The Kingswood**_

While Father and Lord Baratheon chose to remain at the Red Keep -and so did the younger brother now that I think about it- That still left Arthur, Robert Baratheon, myself, and a couple other knights who were at the Keep, alongside some other of the Kingsguard, we were left to have a small three day hunting party.

As it were, Robert had a spear with him, Arthur carried Dawn -Surprisingly enough he had managed to take a boar with that sword, although that was more of a sudden boar attack on his person- and I carried a recurve bow. So far, with his self-defense, Arthur had both Robert and myself beat.

"I know you're strong and all that cousin, but are you sure it is wise to have only a spear?" I asked Robert, he laughed. Robert's laughter, like his father's smile, was sincere, it was also mirthful and quite loud.

"Hah! You're sounding like Ned when we hunt back in the Vale!" Was his reply, the three of us laughed at that remark. "I swear he worries too much about these things" He finished. We saw some game ahead. There was an Elk nearby.

"That one's mine" I whispered in a hushed tone, we came to a proper distance and I carefully aimed, letting the tension build for a second or two on the string and bow, then I loosed the arrow.

The Elk made a sound as the arrow got it in the neck, it then collapsed.

"And here I thought you'd come back with your hands empty" Teased Arthur with a smirk. I chuckled and shrugged, we all walked over to the dead Elk. Then we heard something approaching. The three of us took a few steps back when we saw a damn big brown bear coming at us.

Sure that this was the end of the road, Arthur pulled out Dawn, I took an arrow, and then we both saw that the bear was impaled on Robert's spear, Robert had the widest smile we had seen on him yet, he pushed the bear and it fell down on the ground. It was dead, Robert had somehow managed to get the spear through the bear's heart without getting mauled by the claws.

Satisfied that each of us had managed to get some quarry, we called for help in getting them back, and began to make our way back to the camp that had been set in the Kingswood.

That evening, we drank around a fire, the ale was decently cold, the fire warm, and we were eating from the boar that Arthur had killed.

"I thought we were done for" stated Arthur, I nodded in agreement and Robert nodded as well. "That was my first bear" he remarked in an almost nonchalant manner. "At the Vale, Ned and I have killed some boars and elks, but we did not hunt bears. Too dangerous. Jon always said" Then he laughed

"Well, I will have to go to the Vale then at some point, perhaps we'll meet again there and go out for a hunt. I've heard that Mountain Goats are, while not impressive, quite hard to catch" I told him with a small smirk, he laughed again and took a drink from his mug.

"Aye, those are quite the challenge" Robert agreed. Arthur remained mostly quiet

"Tell me... do you think a lady would like if I have a gift made for her out of the Bear's pelt?" Robert asked after a few seconds. Arthur looked at Robert with a honestly surprised face -much to my surprise, he had not shown as much interest in some of the prettier servant maids that were around- And I raised an eyebrow.

"It depends on the Lady... any specific one in mind?" I asked back, He laughed, took another sip of his ale and looked at me.

"Aye, Father saw to it that we were betrothed, and from what Ned has told me... I've yet to meet her, but I think I will love her like I would no other woman once I do." That took me by surprise, I had thought that that specific betrothal had not been made -even if I had hinted at it being already a thing when I had discussed my own marriage with Father- But it made sense. If you want an alliance, just a friendship between your heir and your prospective ally's second son was not really enough...

I admit his attitude was, if not entirely surprising, something that got a smile out of me. Who would have thought that Robert Baratheon, before losing himself in grief, alcohol and women, was quite the romantic in his own odd manner?

"Ah, I'm afraid that, from what you've told, I'd be even less useful to advise you on this than young Lord Eddard, at least he knows the lady" I replied with a slight smirk. "From what you've said, he and I may not be so different, at least on that regard."

That remark from me made it for Arthur, who started laughing at last, Robert joined him and so did I, embarrassed as Arthur began telling the heir to the Stormlands about how had it come to be that I was going to marry his sister.

By the time we rode back to King's Landing, it truly felt as if I could already count the loud Baratheon as a friend.


	22. A Notice

Hello there, I am embarking into several other projects, and I've decided to add another one to my list. That is, a re-write of this story. For the time being it will be on Spacebattles, however I intend to bring it here once I have caught up with the original story. No, I will not be deleting this. In fact, when I bring it over, you will know.


	23. Status Update

This is an official update on the status of the Rewrite.

I have decided to change the pacing of some plot elements within this story (and one specific plot element will see both, many changes, and will be left for a later point in the story. Due to that, the Rewrite will be posted as its own story instead of replacing the chapters within this specific fic. Expect the posting of the rewrite in here to start very soon.


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